“I should have just slept with him,” she murmured, the declaration sounding unbearably loud in the silent house.

Then at least she’d have a good reason to regret her actions.

“It’s not too late to change your mind,” a low male voice said from the doorway.

Startled, Hadley whirled in Liam’s direction. Heat seared her cheeks. “I thought you went out.”

“I did, but it wasn’t any fun without you.” He advanced toward her, his intent all too clear.

When his arms went around her, pulling her tight against his strong body, Hadley stopped resisting. This was what she wanted. Why fight against something that felt this right?

“Kiss me quick before I change my mind,” she told him, her head falling back so she could meet his gaze. “And don’t stop.”

* * *

Nanny Makes Three is part of the series Texas Cattleman’s Club: Lies and Lullabies—Baby secrets and a scheming sheikh rock Royal, Texas.

CAT SCHIELD has been reading and writing romance since high school. Although she graduated from college with a BA in business, her idea of a perfect career was writing books for Mills & Boon. And now, after winning the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® Award for series contemporary romance, that dream has come true. Cat lives in Minnesota with her daughter, Emily and their Burmese cat. When she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Mills & Boon Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River, or in more exotic locales, like the Caribbean and Europe. She loves to hear from readers. Find her at www.catschield.net. Follow her on Twitter @catschield.

Nanny Makes

Three

Cat Schield

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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For Jeff and Roxanne Schall of Shada Arabians

CONTENTS

Cover

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Copyright

One

Shortly after the 6:00 a.m. feeding, Liam Wade strode through the barn housing the yearling colts and fillies, enjoying the peaceful crunching of hay and the occasional equine snort. It was January 1, and because of the way horses were classified for racing and showing purposes, regardless of their calendar age, every horse in every stall on the ranch was now officially a year older.

Dawn of New Year’s Day had never been a time of reflection for Liam. Usually he was facedown in a beautiful woman’s bed, sleeping like the dead after an evening of partying and great sex. Last year that had changed. He’d left the New Year’s Eve party alone.

His cell phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out. The message from his housekeeper made him frown.

There’s a woman at the house who needs to speak to you.

Liam couldn’t imagine what sort of trouble had come knocking on his door this morning. He texted back that he was on his way and retraced his steps to his Range Rover.

As he drove up, he saw an unfamiliar gray Ford Fusion in the driveway near the large Victorian house Liam’s great-great-grandfather had built during the last days of the nineteenth century. Liam and his twin brother, Kyle, had grown up in this seven-bedroom home, raised by their grandfather after their mother headed to Dallas to create her real estate empire.

Liam parked and turned off the engine. A sense of foreboding raised the hair on his arms, and he wondered at his reluctance to get out of the truck. He’d enjoyed how peaceful the last year had been. A strange woman showing up at the crack of dawn could only mean trouble.

Slipping from behind the wheel, Liam trotted across the drought-dry lawn and up the five steps that led to the wraparound porch. The stained glass windows set into the double doors allowed light to filter into the wide entry hall, but prevented him from seeing inside. Thus, it wasn’t until Liam pushed open the door that he saw the infant car seat off to one side of the hall. As that was registering, a baby began to wail from the direction of the living room.

The tableau awaiting him in the high-ceilinged room was definitely the last thing he’d expected. Candace, his housekeeper, held a squalling infant and was obviously trying to block the departure of a stylish woman in her late fifties.

“Liam will be here any second,” Candace was saying. With her focus split between the child and the blonde woman in the plum wool coat, his housekeeper hadn’t noticed his arrival.

“What’s going on?” Liam questioned, raising his voice slightly to be heard above the unhappy baby.

The relief on Candace’s face was clear. “This is Diane Garner. She’s here about her granddaughter.”

“You’re Liam Wade?” the woman demanded, her tone an accusation.

“Yes.” Liam was completely bewildered by her hostility. He didn’t recognize her name or her face.

“My daughter is dead.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“She was on her way to see you when she went into labor and lost control of her car. The doctors were unable to save her.”

“That’s very tragic.” Liam wasn’t sure what else to say. The name Garner rang no bells. “Did she and I have an appointment about something?”

Diane stiffened. “An appointment?”

“What was your daughter’s name?”

“Margaret Garner. You met her in San Antonio.” Diane grew more agitated with each word she uttered. “You can’t expect me to believe you don’t remember.”

“I’m sorry,” Liam said, pitching his voice to calm the woman. She reminded him of a high-strung mare. “It’s been a while since I’ve been there.”

“It’s been eight months,” Diane said. “Surely you couldn’t have forgotten my daughter in such a short period of time.”

Liam opened his mouth to explain that he wasn’t anywhere near San Antonio eight months ago when it hit him what the woman was implying. He turned and stared at the baby Candace held.

“You think the baby’s mine?”

“Her name is Maggie and I know she’s yours.”

Liam almost laughed. This was one child he knew without question wasn’t his. He’d been celibate since last New Year’s Eve. “I assure you that’s not true.”

Diane pursed her lips. “I came here thinking you’d do the right thing by Maggie. She’s your child. There’s no question that you had an affair with my daughter.”

He wasn’t proud of the fact that during his twenties, he’d probably slept with a few women without knowing their last name or much more about them other than that they were sexy and willing. But he’d been careful, and not one of them had shown up on his doorstep pregnant.

“If I had an affair with your daughter, it was a long time ago, and this child is not mine.”

“I have pictures that prove otherwise.” Diane pulled a phone out of her purse and swiped at the screen. “These are you and my daughter. The date stamp puts them at eight months ago in San Antonio. Are you going to deny that’s you?”

The screen showed a very pretty woman with blond hair and bright blue eyes, laughing as she kissed the cheek of a very familiar-looking face. Kyle’s. A baseball cap hid his short hair, but the lack of a scar on his chin left no doubt it was Kyle and not Liam in the picture.

“I realize that looks like me, but I have a twin brother.” Liam was still grappling with seeing his brother looking so happy when Diane Garner slipped past him and headed toward the entry. “But even so, that doesn’t mean the baby is a Wade.”

Diane paused with her hand on the front doorknob. Her eyes blazed. “Margaret dated very infrequently, and she certainly didn’t sleep around. I can tell from the pictures that she really fell for you.”

Either Diane hadn’t heard Liam when he explained that he had a twin or she saw this as an excuse. While he grappled for a way to get through to the woman, she yanked the door open and exited the house.

Stunned, Liam stared after her. He was ready to concede that the child might be a Wade. A DNA test would confirm that quickly enough, but then what? Kyle was on active duty in the military and not in a position to take on the responsibility of an infant.

The baby’s cries escalated, interrupting his train of thought. He turned to where Candace rocked the baby in an effort to calm her and realized Diane Garner intended to leave her granddaughter behind. Liam chased after the older woman and caught her car door before she could close it.

“Are you leaving the baby?”

“Margaret was on her way to see you. I think she meant to either give you Maggie or get your permission to give her up. There were blank forms to that effect in her car.”

“Why?”

“She never wanted to have children of her own.” Diane’s voice shook. “And I know she wouldn’t have been able to raise one by herself.”

“What happens if I refuse?”

“I’ll turn her over to child services.”

“But you’re the child’s grandmother. Couldn’t you just take care of her until we can get a DNA test performed and...”

“Because of health issues, I’m not in a position to take care of her. You’re Maggie’s father,” Diane insisted. “She belongs with you.”

She belonged with her father. Unfortunately, with Kyle on active duty, could he care for a baby? Did he even want to? Liam had no idea—it had been two years since he’d last spoken with Kyle. But if the child was a Wade—and Liam wasn’t going to turn the child out until he knew one way or another—that meant she belonged here.

“How do I get in contact with you?” Liam asked. Surely the woman would want some news of her grandchild?

“I gave my contact info to your housekeeper.” The older woman looked both shaken and determined. “Take good care of Maggie. She’s all I have left.” And with more haste than grace, Diane pulled her car door shut and started the engine.

As the gray car backed down the driveway, Liam considered the decision his own mother had made, leaving him and Kyle with her father to raise while she went off to the life she wanted in Dallas. He’d never really felt a hole in his life at her absence. Their grandfather had been an ideal blend of tough and affectionate. No reason to think that Maggie wouldn’t do just as well without her mother.

He returned to the house. Candace was in the kitchen warming a bottle of formula. The baby continued to showcase an impressive set of lungs. His housekeeper shot him a concerned glance.

“You let her go?” Candace rocked the baby.

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Convince her to take the baby with her?” She didn’t sound all that certain. “You and I both know she isn’t yours.”

“You sound pretty sure about that.”

Liam gave her a crooked smile. Candace had started working for him seven years ago when the former housekeeper retired. Diane Garner wasn’t the first woman to show up unexpected and uninvited on his doorstep, although she was the first one to arrive with a baby.

“You’ve been different this last year.” Candace eyed him. “More settled.”

She’d never asked what had prompted his overnight transformation from carefree playboy to responsible businessman. Maybe she figured with his thirtieth birthday he’d decided to leave his freewheeling days behind him. That was part of the truth, but not all.

“I’ve been living like a monk.”

She grinned. “That, too.”

“What am I supposed to do with a baby?” He eyed the red-faced infant with her wispy blond hair and unfocused blue eyes. “Why won’t she stop crying?”

“She’s not wet so I’m assuming she’s hungry.” Or maybe she just wants her mother. Candace didn’t say the words, but the thought was written all over her face. “Can you hold her while I get her bottle ready?”

“I’d rather not.”

“She won’t break.”

The child looked impossibly small in Candace’s arms. Liam shook his head. “Tell me what to do to get a bottle ready.”

The noise in the kitchen abated while the baby sucked greedily at her bottle. Liam made the most of this respite and contacted a local company that specialized in placing nannies. Since it wasn’t quite seven in the morning, he was forced to leave a message and could only hope that he’d impressed the owners with the urgency of his need. That done, he set about creating a list of things that baby Maggie would need.

* * *

Hadley Stratton took her foot off the accelerator and let her SUV coast down the last thirty feet of driveway. An enormous Victorian mansion loomed before her, white siding and navy trim giving it the look of a graceful dowager in the rugged West Texas landscape.

The drive from her apartment in Royal had taken her fifteen minutes. Although a much shorter commute than her last job in Pine Valley, Hadley had reservations about taking the nanny position. Liam Wade had a playboy reputation, which made this the exact sort of situation she avoided. If he hadn’t offered a salary at the top of her range and promised a sizable bonus if she started immediately, she would have refused when the agency called. But with student loans hanging over her head and the completion of her master’s degree six short months away, Hadley knew she’d be a fool to turn down the money.

Besides, she’d learned her lesson when it came to attractive, eligible bosses. There would be no repeat of the mistake she’d made with Noah Heston, the divorced father of three who’d gone back to his ex-wife after enticing Hadley to fall in love with him.

Parking her SUV, Hadley headed for the front door and rang the bell. Inside a baby cried, and Hadley’s agitation rose. She knew very little about the situation she was walking into. Only that Liam Wade had a sudden and urgent need for someone to care for an infant.

A shadow darkened the stained glass inset in the double door. When Hadley’s pulse quickened, she suspected this was a mistake. For the last hour she’d been telling herself that Liam Wade was just like any other employer. Sure, the man was a world-class horseman and sexy as hell. Yes, she’d had a crush on him ten years ago, but so had most of the other teenage girls who barrel raced.

A decade had gone by. She was no longer a silly fangirl, but a mature, intelligent, professional nanny who knew the risks of getting emotionally wrapped up in her charges or their handsome fathers.

“Good morning, Mr. Wade.” She spoke crisply as the door began to open. “Royal Nannies sent me. My name is—”

“Hadley...” His bottle-green eyes scanned her face.

“Hadley Stratton.” Had he remembered her? No, of course not. “Stratton.” She cleared her throat and tried not to sound as if her heart was racing. Of course he knew who she was; obviously the agency had let him know who they were sending. “I’m Hadley Stratton.” She clamped her lips together and stopped repeating her name.

“You’re a nanny?” He executed a quick but thorough assessment of her and frowned.

“Well, yes.” Maybe he expected someone older. “I have my résumé and references if you’d like to look them over.” She reached into her tote and pulled out a file.

“No need.” He stepped back and gestured her inside. “Maggie’s in the living room.” He shut the door behind her and grimaced. “Just follow the noise.”

Hadley didn’t realize that she’d expected the baby’s mother to be ridiculously young, beautiful and disinterested in motherhood until she spied the woman holding the child. In her late forties, she was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and sneakers, her disheveled dark hair in a messy bun.

“Hadley Stratton. Candace Tolliver, my housekeeper.” Liam cast a fond grin at the older woman. “Who is very glad you’ve come so quickly.”

Candace had the worn look of a first-time mother with a fussy baby. Even before the introductions were completed, she extended the baby toward Hadley. “I’ve fed her and changed her. She won’t stop crying.”

“What is her normal routine?” Hadley rocked and studied the tiny infant, wondering what had become of the child’s mother. Smaller than the average newborn by a few pounds. Was that due to her mother’s unhealthy nutritional habits while pregnant or something more serious?

“We don’t know.” Candace glanced toward Liam. “She only just arrived. Excuse me.” She exited the room as if there were something burning in the kitchen.

“These are her medical records.” Liam gestured toward a file on the coffee table. “Although she was premature, she checked out fine.”

“How premature?” She slipped her pinkie between the infant’s lips, hoping the little girl would try sucking and calm down. “Does she have a pacifier?”

Liam spoke up. “No.”

Hadley glanced at him. He’d set one hand on his hip. The other was buried in his thick hair. He needed a haircut, she noted absently before sweeping her gaze around the room in search of the normal clutter that came with a child. Other than a car seat and a plastic bag from the local drugstore, the elegant but comfortable room looked like it belonged in a decorating magazine. Pale gray walls, woodwork painted a clean white. The furniture had accents of dusty blue, lime green and cranberry, relieving the monochrome palette.

“Where are her things?”

“Things?” The rugged horseman looked completely lost.

“Diapers, a blanket, clothes? Are they in her room?”

“She doesn’t have a room.”

“Then where does she sleep?”

“We have yet to figure that out.”

Hadley marshaled her patience. Obviously there was a story here. “Perhaps you could tell me what’s going on? Starting with where her mother is.”

“She died a few days ago in a traffic accident.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” Hadley’s heart clenched as she gazed down at the infant who had grown calmer as she sucked on Hadley’s finger. “The poor child never to know her mother.”

Liam cleared his throat. “Actually, I didn’t know her.”

“You had to have...” Hadley trailed off. Chances were Liam Wade just didn’t remember which one-night stand had produced his daughter. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” she crooned, glad to see the infant’s eyes closing.

“Maggie. Her mother was Margaret.”

“Hello, little Maggie.”

Humming a random tune, Hadley rocked Maggie. The combination of soothing noise and swaying motion put the baby to sleep, and Hadley placed her in the car seat.

“You are incredibly good at that.”

Hadley looked up from tucking in the baby and found Liam Wade standing too close and peering over her shoulder at Maggie. The man smelled like pure temptation. If pure temptation smelled like soap and mouthwash. He wore jeans and a beige henley beneath his brown-and-cream plaid shirt. His boots were scuffed and well worn. He might be worth a pile of money, but he’d never acted as though it made him better than anyone else. He’d fit in at the horse shows he’d attended, ambling around with the rest of the guys, showing off his reining skills by snagging the flirts who stalked him and talking horses with men who’d been in the business longer than he’d been alive. His cockiness came from what he achieved on the back of a horse.

“This is the first time she’s been quiet since she got here.” His strained expression melted into a smile of devastating charm. “You’ve worked a miracle.”

“Obviously not. She was just stressed. I suspect your tension communicated itself to her. How long has she been here?”

“Since about seven.” Liam gestured her toward the black leather couch, but Hadley positioned herself in a black-and-white armchair not far from the sleeping child. “Her grandmother dropped her off and left.”

“And you weren’t expecting her?”

Liam shook his head and began to pace. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning.”

“That might be best.”

Before he could begin, his housekeeper arrived with a pot of coffee and two cups. After pouring for both, she glanced at the now-sleeping child, gave Hadley a thumbs-up and exited the room once more. Liam added sugar to his coffee and resumed his march around the room, mug in hand.

“Here’s what I know. A woman arrived this morning with Maggie, said her name was Diane Garner and that her daughter had died after being in a car accident. Apparently she went into labor and lost control of the vehicle.”

Hadley glanced at the sleeping baby and again sorrow overtook her. “That’s just tragic. So where is her grandmother now?”

“On her way back to Houston, I’m sure.”

“She left you with the baby?”

“I got the impression she couldn’t handle the child or didn’t want the responsibility.”

“I imagine she thought the child was better off with her father.”

“Maggie isn’t mine.” Liam’s firm tone and resolute expression encouraged no rebuttal. “She’s my brother’s child.”

At first Hadley didn’t know how to respond. Why would he have taken the child in if she wasn’t his?

“I see. So I’ll be working for your brother?” She knew little of the second Wade brother. Unlike Liam, he hadn’t been active in reining or showing quarter horses.

“No, you’ll be working for me. Kyle is in the military and lives on the East Coast.”

“He’s giving you guardianship of the child?”

Liam stared out the large picture window that overlooked the front lawn. “He’s unreachable at the moment so I haven’t been able to talk to him about what’s going on. I’m not even sure Maggie is his.”

This whole thing sounded too convoluted for Hadley’s comfort. Was Liam Maggie’s father and blaming his absent brother because he couldn’t face the consequences of his actions? He wouldn’t be the first man who struggled against facing up to his responsibilities. Her opinion of Liam Wade the professional horseman had always been high. But he was a charming scoundrel who was capable of seducing a woman without ever catching her name or collecting her phone number.

“I’m not sure I’m the right nanny for you,” she began, her protest trailing off as Liam whirled from the window and advanced toward her.

“You are exactly what Maggie needs. Look at how peaceful she is. Candace spent two hours trying to calm her down, and you weren’t here more than ten minutes and she fell asleep. Please stay. She lost her mother and obviously has taken to you.”

“What you need is someone who can be with Maggie full-time. The clients I work with only need daytime help.”

“The agency said you go to school.”

“I’m finishing up my master’s in child development.”

“But you’re off until the beginning of February when classes resume.”

“Yes.” She felt a trap closing in around her.

“That’s four weeks away. I imagine we can get our situation sorted out by then, so we’d only need you during the day while I’m at the barn.”

“And until then?”

“Would you be willing to move in here? We have more than enough room.”

Hadley shook her head. She’d feel safer sleeping in her own bed. The thought popped into her mind unbidden. What made her think that she was in danger from Liam Wade? From what she knew of him, she was hardly his type.

“I won’t move in, but I’ll come early and stay late to give you as much time as you need during the month of January. In the meantime, you may want to consider hiring someone permanent.”

Despite what Liam had said about Maggie being his brother’s child, Hadley suspected the baby wasn’t going anywhere once the DNA tests came back. With the child’s mother dead and her grandmother unwilling to be responsible for her, Liam should just accept that he was going to need a full-time caregiver.

“That’s fair.”

Liam put out his hand, and Hadley automatically accepted the handshake. Tingles sped up her arm and raised the hair on the back of her neck as his firm grip lingered a few seconds longer than was professionally acceptable.

“Perhaps we could talk about the things that Maggie will need,” Hadley said, hoping Liam didn’t notice the odd squeak in her voice.

“Candace started a list. She said she’d get what we needed as soon as you arrived.” His lips curved in a wry grin. “She didn’t want to leave me alone with the baby.”

“Why not?”

“It might seem strange to you, but I’ve never actually held a baby before.”

Hadley tore her gaze away from the likable sparkle in Liam’s arresting eyes. She absolutely could not find the man attractive. Hadley clasped her hands in her lap.

“Once you’ve held her for the first time, you’ll see how easy it is.” Seeing how deeply the baby was sleeping, Hadley decided this might be a great opportunity for him to begin. “And there’s no time like the present.”

Liam started to protest, but whatever he’d been about to say died beneath her steady gaze. “Very well.” His jaw muscles bunched and released. “What do I do?”

Two

Going balls-out on a twelve-hundred-pound horse to chase down a fleeing cow required steady hands and a calm mind in the midst of a massive adrenaline rush. As a world-class trainer and exhibitor of reining and cutting horses, Liam prided himself on being the eye of the storm. But today, he was the rookie at his first rodeo and Hadley the seasoned competitor.

“It’s important that you support her head.” Hadley picked up the sleeping baby, demonstrating as she narrated. “Some babies don’t like to be held on their backs, so if she gets fussy you could try holding her on her stomach or on her side.”

Hadley came toward him and held out Maggie. He was assailed by the dual fragrances of the two females, baby powder and lavender. The scents filled his lungs and slowed his heartbeat. Feeling moderately calmer, Liam stood very still while Hadley settled Maggie into his arms.

“There.” She peered at the sleeping child for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet Liam’s gaze. Flecks of gold floated in her lapis-blue eyes, mesmerizing him with their sparkle. “See, that wasn’t hard.”

“You smell like lavender.” The words passed his lips without conscious thought.

“Lavender and chamomile.” She stepped back until her path was blocked by an end table. “It’s a calming fragrance.”

“It’s working.”

As he adjusted to the feel of Maggie’s tiny body in his arms, he cast surreptitious glances Hadley’s way. Did she remember him from her days of barrel racing? He hadn’t seen her in ten years and often looked for her at the events he attended, half expecting her name to pop up among the winners. At eighteen she’d been poised to break out as a star in the barrel-racing circuit. And then she’d sold her mare and disappeared. Much to the delight of many of her competitors, chief among them Liam’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.

“I almost didn’t recognize you this morning,” he said, shifting Maggie so he could free his right arm.

Hadley looked up at him warily. “You recognized me?”

How could she think otherwise? She’d been the one who’d gotten away. “Sure. You took my advice and won that sweepstakes class. You and I were supposed to have dinner afterward.” He could tell she remembered that, even though she was shaking her head. “Only I never saw you again.”

“I vaguely remember you trying to tell me what I was doing wrong.”

“You had a nice mare. Lolita Slide. When you put her up for sale I told Shannon Tinger to buy her. She went on to make over a hundred thousand riding barrels with her.”

“She was a terrific horse,” Hadley said with a polite smile. “I’m glad Shannon did so well with her.”

Liam remembered Hadley as a lanky girl in battered jeans and a worn cowboy hat, her blond hair streaming like a victory banner as her chestnut mare raced for the finish line. This tranquil woman before him, while lovely in gray dress pants and a black turtleneck sweater, pale hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, lacked the fire that had snagged his interest ten years earlier.

“We have a three-year-old son of Lolita’s out in the barn. You should come see him. I think he’s going to make a first-class reining horse.”

“I don’t think there will be time. Infants require a lot of attention.”

Her refusal surprised him. He’d expected her to jump at the chance to see what her former mount had produced. The Hadley he remembered had been crazy about horses.

“Why’d you quit?”

Hadley stared at the landscape painting over the fireplace while she answered Liam’s blunt question. “My parents wanted me to go to college, and there wasn’t money to do that and keep my horse. What I got for Lolita paid for my first year’s tuition.”

Liam considered her words. When was the last time he’d been faced with an either-or situation? Usually he got everything he wanted. Once in a while a deal didn’t go his way, but more often than not, that left him open for something better.

Maggie began to stir, and Liam refocused his attention on the baby. Her lips parted in a broad yawn that accompanied a fluttering of her long lashes.

“I think she’s waking up.” He took a step toward Hadley, baby extended.

“You did very well for your first time.”

Unsure if her tiny smile meant she was patronizing him, Liam decided he’d try harder to get comfortable with his niece. Strange as it was to admit it, he wanted Hadley’s approval.

“Would you like a tour of the house?” Liam gestured toward the hallway. “I’d like your opinion on where to put the baby’s room.”

“Sure.”

He led the way across the hall to the dining room. A long mahogany table, capable of seating twelve, sat on a black-and-gold Oriental rug. When he’d overhauled the house six years ago, bringing the plumbing and wiring up to code, this was the one room he’d left in its original state.

“It’s just me living here these days, and I haven’t entertained much in the last year.” The reason remained a sore spot, but Liam brushed it aside. “When my grandfather was alive, he loved to host dinner parties. Several members of Congress as well as a couple governors have eaten here.”

“When did you lose him?”

“A year and a half ago. He had a heart condition and died peacefully in his sleep.” Grandfather had been the only parent he and Kyle had ever known, and his death had shaken Liam. How the loss had hit Kyle, Liam didn’t know. Despite inheriting half the ranch when their grandfather died, his brother never came home and Liam dealt with him only once or twice a year on business matters.

“I remember your grandfather at the shows,” Hadley said. “He always seemed larger than life.”

Liam ushered her into the large modern kitchen. Her words lightened Liam’s mood somewhat. “He loved the horse business. His father had been a cattleman. Our herd of Black Angus descends from the 1880s rush to bring Angus from Scotland.”

“So you have both cattle and horses?”

“We have a Black Angus breeding program. Last year we sold two hundred two-year-olds.”

“Sounds like you’re doing very well.”

After a quick peek in the den, they finished their tour of the first floor and climbed the stairs.

“Business has been growing steadily.” So much so that Liam wasn’t able to do what he really loved: train horses.

“You don’t sound all that excited about your success.”

He’d thought the abrupt cessation of his personal life would provide more time to focus on the ranch, but he’d discovered the more he was around, the more his staff came to him with ideas for expanding.

“I didn’t realize how focused my grandfather had been on the horse side of the business until after his heart problems forced him into semiretirement. Apparently he’d been keeping things going out of respect for his father, but his heart wasn’t really in it.”

“And once he semiretired?”

“I hired someone who knew what he was doing and gave him a little capital. In three years he’d increased our profits by fifty percent.” Liam led Hadley on a tour of three different bedrooms. “This one is mine.”

“I think it would be best if Maggie is across the hall from you.” Hadley had chosen a cheerful room with large windows overlooking the backyard and soft green paint on the walls. “That way when she wakes up at night you’ll be close by.”

While Liam wasn’t worried about being up and down all night with the infant, he preferred not to be left alone in case something went wrong. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to live in?”

“You’ll do fine. I promise not to leave until I’m sure Maggie is well settled.”

That was something, Liam thought. “If you have things under control for the moment, I need to get back to the barn. I have several calls to make and an owner stopping by to look at his crop of yearlings.”

“Maggie and I will be fine.”

“Candace should be back with supplies soon, and hopefully we’ll have some baby furniture delivered later today. I’ll have a couple of the grooms empty this room so it can be readied for Maggie.”

Hadley nodded her approval. In her arms, the baby began to fuss. “I think it’s time for a change and a little something to eat.”

“Here’s my cell and office numbers.” Liam handed her his business card. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, I will.”

The short drive back to the barn gave Liam a couple minutes to get his equilibrium back. Kyle was a father. That was going to shock the hell out of his brother.

And Liam had received a shock of his own today in the form of Hadley Stratton. Was it crazy that she was the one who stuck out in his mind when he contemplated past regrets? Granted, they’d been kids. He’d been twenty. She’d barely graduated high school the first time she’d made an impression on him. And it had been her riding that had caught his attention. On horseback she’d been a dynamo. Out of the saddle, she’d been quiet and gawky in a way he found very appealing.

He’d often regretted never getting the chance to know anything about her beyond her love of horses, and now fate had put her back in his life. Second chances didn’t come often, and Liam intended to make the most of this one.

* * *

The grandfather clock in the entry hall chimed once as Hadley slipped through the front door into the cold night air. Shivering at the abrupt change in temperature, she trotted toward her SUV and slid behind the wheel. An enormous yawn cracked her jaw as she started the car and navigated the circular drive.

In order for Hadley to leave Liam in charge of Maggie, she’d had to fight her instincts. The baby was fussier than most, probably because she was premature, and only just went to sleep a little while ago. Although Liam had gained confidence as he’d taken his turn soothing the frazzled infant, Hadley had already grown too attached to the motherless baby and felt compelled to hover. But he needed to learn to cope by himself.

Weariness pulled at her as she turned the SUV on to the deserted highway and headed for Royal. Her last few assignments had involved school-age children, and she’d forgotten how exhausting a newborn could be. No doubt Liam would be weary beyond words by the time she returned at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.

This child, his daughter, was going to turn his world upside down. Already the house had a more lived-in feeling, less like a decorator’s showplace and more like a family home. She wondered how it had been when Liam and his brother were young. No doubt the old Victorian had quaked with the noisy jubilance of two active boys.

Twenty minutes after leaving the Wade house, Hadley let herself into her one-bedroom apartment. Waldo sat on the front entry rug, appearing as if he’d been patiently awaiting her arrival for hours when in fact, the cat had probably been snoozing on her bed seconds earlier. As she shut the front door, the big gray tabby stretched grandly before trotting ahead of her toward the kitchen and his half-empty food bowl. Once it was filled to his satisfaction, Waldo sat down and began cleaning his face.

The drive had revived her somewhat. Hadley fixed herself a cup of Sleepytime tea and sipped at it as she checked the contents of the bags a good friend of hers had dropped off this afternoon. After seeing what Candace had bought for the baby, Hadley had contacted Kori to purchase additional supplies. She would owe her friend lunch once Maggie was settled in. Kori had shown horses when she was young and would get a kick out of hearing that Liam Wade was Hadley’s new employer.

Hadley had a hard time falling asleep and barely felt as if she’d dozed for half an hour when her alarm went off at five. Usually she liked to work out in the morning and eat a healthy breakfast while watching morning news, but today she was anxious about how things had gone with Liam and Maggie.

Grabbing a granola bar and her to-go mug filled with coffee, Maggie retraced the drive she’d made a mere five hours earlier. The Victorian’s second-floor windows blazed with light, and Hadley gave a huge sigh before shifting the SUV into Park and shutting off the engine.

The wail of a very unhappy baby greeted Hadley as she let herself in the front door. From the harried expression on Liam’s face, the infant had been crying for some time.

“It doesn’t sound as if things are going too well,” she commented, striding into the room and holding out her arms for the baby. “Did you get any sleep?”

“A couple hours.”

Liam was still dressed for bed in a pair of pajama bottoms that clung to his narrow hips and a snug T-shirt that highlighted a torso sculpted by physical labor. Hadley was glad to have the fussy baby to concentrate on. Liam’s helplessness made him approachable, and that was dangerous. Even without his usual swagger, his raw masculinity was no less potent.

“Why don’t you go back to bed and see if you can get a little more sleep?”

The instant she made the suggestion, Hadley wished the words back. She never told an employer what to do. Or she hadn’t made that mistake since her first nanny job. She’d felt comfortable enough with Noah to step across the line that separated boss and friend. For a couple months that hadn’t been a problem, but then she’d been pulled in too deep and had her heart broken.

“It’s time I headed to the barn,” Liam said, his voice muffled by the large hands he rubbed over his face. “There are a dozen things I didn’t get to yesterday.”

His cheeks and jaw were softened by a day’s growth of beard, enhancing his sexy, just-got-out-of-bed look. Despite the distraction of a squirming, protesting child in her arms, Hadley registered a significant spike in her hormone levels. She wanted to run her palms over his broad shoulders and feel for herself the ripple of ab muscles that flexed as he scrubbed his fingers through his hair before settling his hands on his hips.

Light-headed, she sat down in the newly purchased rocking chair. Liam’s effect on her didn’t come as a surprise. She’d had plenty of giddy moments around him as a teenager. Once, after she’d had a particularly fantastic run, he’d even looked straight at her and smiled.

Hadley tightened her attention on Maggie and wrestled her foolishness into submission. Even if Liam was still that cocky boy every girl wanted to be with, she was no longer a susceptible innocent prone to bouts of hero worship. More important, he’d hired her to care for this baby, a child who was probably his daughter.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Liam squatted down by the rocker. He gripped the arm of the chair to steady himself, his fingers brushing Hadley’s elbow and sending ripples of sensation up her arm.

“You mean because she’s been crying so much?” Hadley shot a glance at him and felt her resolve melting beneath the concern he showered on the baby. “I think she’s just fussy. We haven’t figured out exactly what she likes yet. It might take swaddling her tight or a certain sound that calms her. I used to take care of a baby boy who liked to fall asleep listening to the dishwasher.”

“I know we talked about this yesterday,” Liam began, his gaze capturing hers. “But can you make an exception for a few weeks and move in here?”

“I can’t.” The thought filled her with a mixture of excitement and panic. “I have a cat—”

“There’s always plenty of mice in the barn.”

Hadley’s lips twitched as she imagined Waldo’s horror at being cut off from the comforts of her bed and his favorite sunny spot where he watched the birds. “He’s not that sort of cat.”

“Oh.” Liam gazed down at Maggie, who’d calmed enough to accept a pacifier. “Then he can move in here with you.”

Hadley sensed this was quite a compromise for Liam, but she still wasn’t comfortable agreeing to stay in the house. “I think Maggie is going to be fine once she settles in a bit. She’s been through a lot in the last few days.”

“Look at her. She’s been crying for three hours and you calm her down within five minutes. I can’t go through another night like this one. You have to help me out. Ten days.”

“A week.” Hadley couldn’t believe it when she heard herself bargaining.

Triumph blazed in Liam’s eyes, igniting a broad smile. “Done.” He got to his feet, showing more energy now that he’d gotten his way.

* * *

After a quick shower and a cup of coffee, Liam felt a little more coherent as he entered his bookkeeper/office manager’s office. Ivy had been with Wade Ranch for nine years. She was a first cousin twice removed, and Grandfather had hired her as his assistant, and in a few short years her organizational skills had made her invaluable to the smooth running of the ranch.

“Tough night?” Ivy smirked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. She looked disgustingly chipper for seven in the morning. “Used to be a time when you could charm a female into doing your bidding.”

Liam poured himself a cup of her wickedly strong brew and slumped onto her couch. “I’m rusty.” Although he’d persuaded Hadley to move in for a week. Maybe it was just babies that were immune.

“Have you considered what you’re going to do if the baby isn’t Kyle’s?”

As Ivy voiced what had filtered through Liam’s mind several times during the last twenty-four hours, he knew he’d better contact a lawyer today. Technically, unless he claimed the child as his, he had no legal rights to her.

“I really believe Kyle is her father,” Liam said. “I’m heading to a clinic Hadley recommended to have a DNA test run. I figured since Kyle and I are identical twins, the results should come back looking like Maggie is my daughter.”

And then what? Margaret was dead. With Kyle estranged from his family, it wasn’t likely he or Maggie would spend much time at Wade Ranch. And if Liam was wrong about his brother being Maggie’s father, Diane Garner might give her up to strangers.

Liam was surprised how fast he’d grown attached to the precious infant; the idea of not being in her life bothered him. But was he ready to take on the challenge of fatherhood? Sure, he and Kyle had done okay raised by their grandfather, but could a little girl be raised by a man alone? Wouldn’t she miss a mother snuggling her, brushing her hair and teaching her all the intricacies of being a woman? And yet it wasn’t as if Liam would stay single forever.

An image of Hadley flashed through his thoughts. Beautiful, nurturing and just stubborn enough to be interesting. A year ago he might not have given her a second thought. Hadley was built for steady, long-term relationships, not the sort of fun and games that defined Liam’s private life. She’d probably be good for him, but would he be good for her? After a year of celibacy, his libido was like an overwound spring, ready to explode at the least provocation.

“Liam, are you listening to me?” Ivy’s sharp tone shattered his thoughts.

“No. Sorry. I was thinking about Maggie and the future.”

Her expression shifted to understanding. “Why don’t we talk later this afternoon. You have a fund-raising meeting at the club today, don’t you?”

He’d forgotten all about it. Liam had been involved with the Texas Cattleman’s Club fund-raising efforts for Royal Memorial’s west wing ever since it had been damaged by a tornado more than a year ago. The grand reopening was three weeks away, but there remained several unfinished projects to discuss.

“I’ll be back around three.”

“See you then.”

Fearing if he sat down in his large office, he might doze off, Liam headed into the attached barn where twelve champion American quarter horse stallions stood at stud. Three of them belonged to Wade Ranch; the other nine belonged to clients.

Liam was proud of all they’d accomplished and wished that his grandfather had lived to see their annual auction reach a record million dollars for 145 horses. Each fall they joined with three other ranches to offer aged geldings, sought after for their proven ranch performance, as well as some promising young colts and fillies with top bloodlines.

At the far end of the barn, double doors opened into a medium-sized indoor arena used primarily for showing clients’ horses. One wall held twenty feet of glass windows. On the other side was a spacious, comfortable lounge used for entertaining the frequent visitors to the ranch. A large television played videos of his stallions in action as well as highlights from the current show and racing seasons.

Liam went through the arena and entered the show barn. Here is where he spent the majority of his time away from ranch business. He’d grown up riding and training reining horses and had won dozens of national titles as well as over a million dollars in prize money before he’d turned twenty-five.

Not realizing his destination until he stood in front of the colt’s stall, Liam slid open the door and regarded WR Electric Slide, son of Hadley’s former mount, Lolita. The three-year-old chestnut shifted in the stall and pushed his nose against Liam’s chest. Chuckling, he scratched the colt’s cheek, and his mind returned to Hadley.

While he understood that college and grad school hadn’t left her the time or the money to own a horse any longer, it didn’t make sense the way she’d shot down his suggestion that she visit this son of her former mount. And he didn’t believe that she’d lost interest in horses. Something more was going on, and he wasn’t going to let it go.

Three

Hadley sat in the nursery’s comfortable rocking chair with Maggie on her lap, lightly tapping her back to encourage the release of whatever air she’d swallowed while feeding. It was 3:00 a.m., and Hadley fended off the house’s heavy silence by quietly humming. The noise soothed the baby and gave Hadley’s happiness a voice.

She’d been living in the Wade house for three days, and each morning dawned a little brighter than the last. The baby fussed less. Liam smiled more. And Hadley got to enjoy Candace’s terrific cooking as well as a sense of accomplishment.

Often the agency sent her to handle the most difficult situations, knowing that she had a knack for creating cooperation in the most tumultuous of households. She attributed her success to patience, techniques she’d learned in her child development classes and determination. Preaching boundaries and cooperation, she’d teach new habits to the children and demonstrate to the parents how consistency made their lives easier.

Feeling more than hearing Maggie burp, Hadley resettled the baby on her back and picked up the bottle once more. Her appetite had increased after her pediatrician diagnosed acid reflux, probably due to her immature digestive system, and prescribed medication to neutralize her stomach acids. Now a week old, Maggie had stopped losing weight and was almost back to where she’d started.

In addition to the reflux problem, Maggie had symptoms of jaundice. Dr. Stringer had taken blood samples to run for DNA, and the bilirubinometer that tested jaundice levels had shown a higher-than-average reading. To Liam’s dismay, the doctor had suggested they wait a couple weeks to see if the jaundice went away on its own. He’d only relaxed after the pediatrician suggested they’d look at conventional phototherapy when the blood tests came back.

By the time Hadley settled Maggie back into her crib, it was almost four in the morning. With the late-night feedings taking longer than average because of Maggie’s reflux problem, Hadley had gotten in the habit of napping during the day when the baby slept. The abbreviated sleep patterns were beginning to wear on her, but in four short days she would be back spending the night in her tiny apartment once more.

Yawning into her pajama sleeve, Hadley shuffled down the hall to her room. Seeing that her door was open brought her back to wakefulness. In her haste to reach Maggie before she awakened Liam, Hadley hadn’t pulled her door fully shut, and after a quick check under the bed and behind the chair, she conceded that the cat was missing. Damn. She didn’t want to tiptoe around the quiet house in search of a feline who enjoyed playing hide-and-seek. Given the size of the place, she could be at it for hours.

Silently cursing, Hadley picked up a pouch of kitty treats and slipped out of her room. The floorboards squeaked beneath her. Moving with as much stealth as possible, she stole past Liam’s room and headed toward the stairs.

Once on the first floor, Hadley began shaking the treat bag and calling Waldo’s name in a stage whisper. She began in the living room, peering under furniture and trying not to sound as frustrated as she felt. No cat. Next, she moved on to the den. That, too, was feline free. After a quick and fruitless sweep of the dining room, she headed into the kitchen, praying Waldo had found himself a perch on top of the refrigerator or made a nest in the basket of dirty clothes in the laundry room. She found no sign of the gray tabby anywhere.

Hadley returned to the second floor, resigned to let the cat find his own way back, hoping he did before Liam woke up. But as she retraced her steps down the dim corridor, she noticed something that had eluded her earlier. Liam’s door was open just wide enough for a cat to slip inside. She paused in the hall and stared at the gap. Had it been like that when she’d passed by earlier? It would be just like Waldo to gravitate toward the one person in the house who didn’t like him.

She gave the pouch of cat treats a little shake. The sound was barely above a whisper, but Waldo had fantastic hearing, and while he might disregard her calls, he never ignored his stomach. Hadley held her breath for a few tense, silent seconds and listened for the patter of cat paws on the wood floor, but heard nothing but Liam’s deep, rhythmic breathing. Confident that he was sound asleep, she eased open his door until she could slip inside.

Her first step into Liam’s bedroom sent alarm bells shrilling in her head. Had she lost her mind? She was sneaking into her employer’s room in the middle of the night while he slept. How would she explain herself if he woke? Would he believe that she was in search of her missing cat or would he assume she was just another opportunistic female? As the absurdity of the situation hit her, Hadley pressed her face into the crook of her arm and smothered a giggle. Several deep breaths later she had herself mostly back under control and advanced another careful step into Liam’s room.

Her eyes had long ago grown accustomed to the darkness, and the light of a three-quarter moon spilled through the large window, so it was easy for her to make out the modern-looking king-size bed and the large man sprawled beneath the pale comforter. And there was Waldo, lying on top of Liam’s stomach looking for all the world as if he’d found the most comfortable place on earth. He stared at Hadley, the tip of his tail sweeping across Liam’s chin in a subtle taunt.

This could not be happening.

Hadley shook the pouch gently and Waldo’s gold eyes narrowed, but he showed no intention of moving. Afraid that Liam would wake if she called the cat, Hadley risked approaching the bed. He simply had to move on his own. In order to pick him up, she’d have to slide her hand between Waldo’s belly and Liam’s stomach. Surely that would wake the sleeping man.

Pulling out a treat, she waved it in front of the cat’s nose. Waldo’s nose twitched with interest, but he displayed typical catlike disdain for doing anything expected of him. He merely blinked and glanced away. Could she snatch up the cat and make it to the door before Liam knew what had happened? Her mind ran through the possibilities and saw nothing but disaster.

Maybe she could nudge the cat off Liam. She poked the cat’s shoulder. Waldo might have been glued where he lay. Working carefully, she slid her finger into his armpit and prodded upward, hoping to annoy him into a sitting position. He resisted by turning his body to stone.

Crossing her fingers that Liam was as sound a sleeper as he appeared, Hadley tried one last gambit. She scratched Waldo’s head and was rewarded by a soft purr. Now that he was relaxed, she slid her nails down his spine and was rewarded when he pushed to his feet, the better to enjoy the caress. Leaning farther over the mattress, she slid one hand behind his front legs and cupped his butt in her other palm when she felt the air stir the fabric of her pajama top against her skin.

Hadley almost yelped as a large hand skimmed beneath the hem of her top and traced upward over her rib cage to the lower curve of her breast. Awkwardly looming over Liam’s bed, her hands wrapped around an increasingly unhappy feline, she glanced at Liam’s face and noticed that while his eyes remained closed, one corner of his lips had lifted into a half smile.

* * *

Liam was having an amazing dream. He lay on a couch in front of a roaring fire with a woman draped across him. Her long hair tickled his chin as his hands swept under her shirt, fingers tracing her ribs. Her bare skin was warm and soft beneath his caress and smelled like lavender and vanilla.

It was then he realized whom he held. He whispered her name as his palm discovered the swell of her breast. His fingertips grazed across her tight nipple and her body quivered in reaction, He smiled. A temptress lurked beneath her professional reserve and he was eager to draw her out. Before he could caress further, however, something landed on his chest with a thump.

The dream didn’t so much dissolve as shatter. One second he was inches away from heaven, the next he was sputtering after having his breath knocked out. His eyes shot open. Darkness greeted him. His senses adjusted as wakefulness returned.

The silken skin from his dream was oh so real against his fingers. As was the disturbed breathing that disrupted the room’s silence.

“Hadley?”

She was looming over his bed, frozen in place, her arms extended several inches above his body. “Waldo got out of my room and came in here. I was trying to lift him off you when you...” Her voice trailed off. She gathered the large gray cat against her chest and buried her face in his fur.

Liam realized his hand was still up her pajama top, palm resting against her side, thumb just below the swell of her breast. The willpower it took to disengage from the compromising position surprised him.

“I was dreaming...” He sat up in bed and rubbed his face to clear the lingering fog of sleep. “Somehow you got tangled up in it.”

“You were dreaming of me?” She sounded more dismayed than annoyed.

He reached for the fading dream and confirmed that she had been the object of his passion. “No.” She’d already pegged him as a womanizer; no need to add fuel to the fire. “The woman in my dream wasn’t anyone I knew.”

“Perhaps it was Margaret Garner.”

It frustrated him that she continued to believe Maggie was his daughter. “That’s possible, since I never met her.” His tone must have reflected his frustration because Hadley stepped away from his bed.

“I should get back to my room. Sorry we woke you.”

“No problem.” Liam waited until the door closed behind her before he toppled backward onto the mattress.

The sheer insanity of the past few moments made him grin. Had she really sneaked into his room to fetch the cat? Picturing what must have happened while he slept made him chuckle. He wished he could have seen her face. He’d bet she’d blushed from her hairline to her toes. Hadley didn’t have the brazen sensuality of the women who usually caught his interest. She’d never show up half dressed in his hotel room and pout because he’d rather watch a football game than fool around. Nor would she stir up gossip in an attempt to capture his attention. She was such a straight arrow. Her honesty both captivated and alarmed him.

Rather than stare sleepless at the ceiling, Liam laid his forearm over his eyes and tried to put Hadley out of his mind. However, vivid emotions had been stirred while he’d been unconscious. Plus, he was having a hard time forgetting the oh-so-memorable feel of her soft skin. With his body in such a heightened state of awareness, there was no way Liam was going to just fall back asleep. Cursing, he rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. Might as well head to the barn and catch up on paperwork.

Three hours later he’d completed the most pressing items and headed out to the barn to watch the trainers work the two-year-olds. At any time, there were between twenty and thirty horses in various stages of training.

They held classes and hosted clinics. For the last few years, Liam had taught a group of kids under ten years old who wanted to learn the ins and outs of competitive reining. They were a steely-eyed bunch of enthusiasts who were more serious about the sport than many adults. At the end of every class, he thanked heaven it would be a decade before he had to compete against them.

“Hey, boss. How’re the colts looking?” Jacob Stevens, Liam’s head trainer, had joined him near the railing.

“Promising.” Liam had been watching for about an hour. “That bay colt by Blue is looking better all the time.”

“His full brother earned over a quarter of a million. No reason to think Cielo can’t do just as well.” Jacob shot his boss a wry grin. “Think you’re going to hold on to him?”

Liam laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to limit myself to keeping only five in my name. At the moment, I own eight.”

Until Hadley had shown up, he’d been seriously contemplating selling Electric Slide. The colt was going to be a champion, but Liam had more horses than he had time for. If only he could convince Hadley to get back in the saddle. He knew she’d balk at being given the horse, but maybe she’d be willing to work him as much as time permitted.

“Thing is,” Jacob began, “you’ve got a good eye, and the ranch keeps producing winners.”

Liam nodded. “It’s definitely a quality problem. I’ve had a couple of good offers recently. Maybe I need to stop turning people down.”

“Or just wait for the right owner.”

“Speaking of that. Can you get one of the guys to put Electric Slide through his paces? I want to get some video for a friend of mine.”

“Sure.”

As he recorded the chestnut colt, Liam wasn’t sure if he’d have any luck persuading Hadley to come check out the horse, but he really wanted to get to the bottom of her resistance.

Lunchtime rolled around, and Liam headed back to the house. He hadn’t realized how eager he was to spend some time with Maggie and Hadley until he stopped his truck on the empty driveway and realized Hadley’s SUV was absent.

Candace was pulling a pie out of the oven as he entered the kitchen. Her broad smile faded as she read the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Where’s Hadley?”

“Shopping for clothes and things for Maggie.” Candace set a roast beef sandwich on the center island and went to the refrigerator for a soda. “The poor girl hasn’t been out of here in days.”

“She took Maggie with her?”

“I offered to watch her while she was gone, but the weather is warm, and Hadley thought the outing would do her some good.”

“How long have they been gone?”

“About fifteen minutes.” Candace set her hands on her hips and regarded him squarely. “Is there some reason for all the questions?”

“No.”

Liam wondered at his edginess. He trusted Maggie was in good hands with Hadley, but for some reason, the thought of both of them leaving the ranch had sparked his anxiety. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t as if they weren’t ever coming back.

The thought caught him by surprise. Is that what was in the back of his mind? The notion that people he cared about left the ranch and didn’t come back? Ridiculous. Sure, his mother had left him and Kyle. And then Kyle had gone off to join the navy, but people needed to live their lives. It had nothing to do with him or the ranch. Still, the sense of uneasiness lingered.

* * *

Royal Diner was humming with lunchtime activity when Hadley pushed through the glass door in search of a tuna melt and a chance to catch up with Kori. To her relief, her best friend had already snagged one of the booths. Hadley crossed the black-and-white checkerboard floor and slid onto the red faux-leather seat with a grateful sigh.

“I’m so glad you were able to meet me last-minute,” Hadley said, settling Maggie’s carrier beside her and checking on the sleeping infant.

She’d already fed and changed the baby at Priceless, Raina Patterson’s antiques store and craft studio. Hadley had taken a candle-making class there last month and wanted to see what else Raina might be offering.

“Thanks for calling. This time of year is both a blessing and a curse.” Kori was a CPA who did a lot of tax work, making January one of her slower months. “I love Scott, but his obsessive need to be busy at all times gets on my nerves.” Kori and her husband had started their accounting company two years ago, and despite what she’d just said, the decision had been perfect for them.

“You’re the one doing me a favor. I really need your advice.” Hadley trailed off as the waitress brought two Diet Cokes.

They put in their lunch order and when the waitress departed, Kori leaned her forearms on the table and fixed Hadley with an eager stare.

“This is fantastic. You never need my help with anything.”

Her friend’s statement caught Hadley off guard. “That’s not true. I’m always asking for favors.”

“Little things, sure, like when you asked me to pick up baby stuff for Miss Maggie or help with your taxes, but when it comes to life stuff you’re so self-sufficient.” Kori paused. “And I’m always boring you with the stuff that I’m going through.”

Hadley considered. “I guess I’ve been focused on finishing my degree and haven’t thought much beyond that. Plus, it’s not like I have a social life to speak of.”

Kori waved her hands. “Forget all that. Tell me what’s going on.”

Embarrassment over her early-morning encounter with Liam hadn’t faded one bit. Her skin continued to tingle in the aftermath of his touch while other parts of her pulsed with insistent urgency. The only thing that kept her from quitting on the spot was that he’d been asleep when he’d slid his hand beneath her clothes.

“Oh my goodness,” Kori exclaimed in awe. “You’re blushing.”

Hadley clapped her hands over her cheeks. “Am I?”

“What happened?”

“Waldo got out of my room last night when I got up for Maggie’s feeding, and when I tracked him down, he was in Liam’s room, curled up right here.” Hadley indicated where her cat had been on Liam’s anatomy.

“You said he isn’t a cat person. Was he mad?”

“He was asleep.”

Kori began to laugh. “So what happened?”

“I tried to lure him off with a treat, but Waldo being Waldo wouldn’t budge. As I was picking him up...” Swept by mortification, Hadley closed her eyes for a span of two heartbeats.

“Yes?” Kori’s voice vibrated with anticipation. “You picked him up and what?”

“I was leaning over the bed and Liam was sleeping. And dreaming.” Hadley shuddered. “About having sex with some woman, I think.”

“And?” Kori’s delighted tone prompted Hadley to spill the next part of her tale.

“The next thing I knew, his hand was up my shirt and he—” she mimed a gesture “—my breast.” Her voice trailed off in dismay.

“No way. And you’re sure he was asleep?”

“Positive. Unfortunately, I was so shocked that I didn’t keep a good hold of Waldo and he jumped onto Liam’s chest, waking him. I don’t think he knew what hit him.”

“What did he say?”

“I honestly don’t remember. I think I mumbled an apology for waking him. He retrieved his hand from beneath my pajama top and I bolted with Waldo.”

“Did you talk to him later?”

“He was gone before Maggie woke up again, and then I took off before he came home for lunch.” Hadley glanced at her charge to make sure the baby was sleeping soundly. “What am I supposed to say or do the next time I see him?”

“You could thank him for giving you the best sex you’ve had in years.”

“We didn’t have sex.” Hadley lowered her voice and hissed the last word, scowling at her friend.

“It’s the closest thing you’ve had to a physical encounter in way too long.” Kori fluffed her red hair and gazed in disgust at her friend. “I don’t know how you’ve gone so long without going crazy. If Scott and I go three days without sex we become vile, miserable people.”

Hadley rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m not in a committed, monogamous relationship. You and Scott have been together for seven years. You’ve forgotten how challenging being single is. And if you recall, the last time I fell in love it didn’t work out so well.”

“Noah was an ass. He led you on while he was still working through things with his ex-wife.”

“She wanted him back,” Hadley reminded her friend. “He’d never stopped loving her even after finding out she’d cheated on him. And he was thinking about his kids.”

“He still hedged his bets with you. At the very least, he should have told you where things stood between them.”

On that, Hadley agreed. Five years earlier, she’d been a blind fool to fall in love with Noah. Not only had he been her employer, but also things had moved too fast between them. Almost immediately he’d made her feel like a part of the family. Because it was her first time being a nanny, she hadn’t understood that his behavior had crossed a line. She’d merely felt accepted and loved.

“That was a long time ago.” Thinking about Noah made her sad and angry. He’d damaged her ability to trust and opened a hole in her heart that had never healed. “Can we get back to my more immediate problem? Do I quit?”

“Because your boss sleep–felt you up?” Kori shook her head. “Chalk it up to an embarrassing mistake and forget about it.”

“You’re right.” Only she was having a hard time forgetting how much she enjoyed his hands on her skin. In fact, she wanted him to run his hands all over her body and make her come for him over and over.

Kori broke into her thoughts. “You’re thinking about him right now, aren’t you?”

“What?” Hadley sipped at her cold drink, feeling overly warm. “No. Why would you think that?”

“You’ve got the hots for him. Good for you.”

“No. Not good for me. He’s my boss, for one thing. For another, he’s a major player. I knew him when I used to race barrels. He had girls chasing after him all the time, and he enjoyed every second of it.”

“So he’s a playboy. You don’t need to fall in love with him, just scratch an itch.”

“I can’t.” Hadley gave her head a vehement shake to dispel the temptation of Kori’s matter-of-fact advice. “Besides, I’m not his type. He was asleep during most of what happened this morning.”

“Wait. Most?”

Hadley waved to dismiss her friend’s query. “It might have taken him a couple extra seconds to move his hand.”

Kori began to laugh again. “Oh, he must have really been thrown for a loop. You in his bedroom in the middle of the night with the cat.”

The picture Kori painted was funny, and Hadley let herself laugh. “Thank you for putting the whole thing in perspective. I don’t know why I was so stressed about it.”

“Maybe because despite your best intentions, you like the guy more than you think you should.”

Hadley didn’t even bother to deny it. “Maybe I do,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter, because no matter how attractive I may find him, he’s my boss, and you know I’m never going there again.”

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